Madden Industrial Craftsmen Incorporated

If you have an employee who can’t or won’t do the work he or she needs to do, it’s time for a sit down and talk.  But the approach you take depends on the situation.

Counseling an employee may be needed for various situations, such as continuous performance problems, an employee who has the ability to do the job but is not doing as well as he should, an employee who is allowing personal problems to affect his or her performance, or an employee who may have an attitude problem.

The manager also needs to examine his or her own behavior as well.  He or she may have allowed the employee to get away with a poor performance, which is actually rewarding the employee for unacceptable performance.  Or there may really be no incentive for the employee to do a good job.  No one seems to notice.  Or it may be the case that the employee lacks the authority he or she needs to do the job properly, or there are obstacles put in the employee’s way.

If any of these are the case, the manager needs to take care of them.

In counseling an employee, the first thing the manager needs to do is prepare for the conversation.  If the employee is telling the manager that he doesn’t need anything to do his job, the employee either doesn’t really know how to do the job and won’t admit it, or the employee really doesn’t want to do the job.

As part of the preparation for the discussion with the employee, the manager needs to decide if the employee is willing to deal with the issues, and some of the alternatives or consequences of his or her continued poor performance.  If the manager really has reservations about the employee’s willingness to do what needs to be done, that is the time to contact human resources.

During the conversation, the manager first needs to establish an atmosphere where there can be  an easy give-and-take with the employee.  But he needs to be professional – the conversation is solely about the employee’s performance and the need to do something about it.  Nothing personal should enter into it.

The focus of the conversation needs to be on the employee’s behavior, not on his attitude or intentions or beliefs.  If the manager wants to address an attitude problem, he needs to focus on how the poor attitude influences behavior.

After the manager has talked about the performance problem, he then should get feedback from the employee, so he or she can tell his or her side of the story.

The manager needs to offer support to the employee, but at the same time needs to focus on finding a solution.  The effort needs to be made by the employee – the manager can’t do the work for him.  But what the manager can do is set benchmarks for achieving improvements, and an emphasis on meeting expectations.

It is important for the manager to keep in mind that the goal is to improve an employee’s performance, not to try and psychologically evaluate them to find out what the problem may be.

When you need highly skilled temporary employees to help your business grow, give Madden Industrial Craftsman Incorporated a call. We provide talented and hard-working employees for companies in the Pacific Northwest. We look forward to hearing from you.

There is an extensive array of regulations and laws in the United States designed to protect people from discrimination in employment.  Because the laws are so numerous, it may be confusing as to what questions are acceptable to ask during an interview.

When interviewing, it is important to keep in mind that questions should pertain only to the candidate’s ability to do the job in question.

Here are some brief guidelines to follow regarding the areas to avoid when interviewing job candidates:

First, questions about an applicant’s age should be avoided because the laws prohibit discrimination based on age.  The only pertinent information is whether or not an applicant is old enough to do the job.

Questions involving an applicant’s family situation are also not allowable.  For example, questions about a person’s marital status, living companions, and children are off limits.

Concerning race or ethnic origin, the only legitimate question to ask is whether the applicant is legally authorized to work in the United States.

Also, to prevent discrimination based on past criminal activities, questions regarding past arrests are prohibited as well.  However, the employer can ask about criminal activity if it relates to the job opening.  For example, an employer is entitled to know about past record of embezzlement if a person is applying for a job at a bank.

All questions relating to an applicant’s racial or religious background are illegal.

Also, it is not permissible to ask about an applicant’s affiliations with any organizations.  However, an employer may ask if an applicant belongs to any organizations that the person considers relevant to their ability to perform the job.  This usually concerns professional groups.

Personal questions involving height and weight should also be avoided – unless they relate  to the applicant’s ability to perform the job in question.

Another area that an employer needs to be aware of is the legal guidelines relating to disabilities. Any questions about a person’s disability, health, or worker’s compensation history are illegal on their own.  So, for example, you cannot ask if a person has a disability or if they have had any recent illnesses or operations.  You cannot require them to fill out a medical questionnaire.

But you can ask about the applicant’s ability to perform the job in question adequately or specific functions of the job.  And you may test the applicant to see if he or she can perform the job, with or without any special accommodation.

You may also require the person to take a medical exam, but only after a job offer has been made.

If your company is located in the Pacific Northwest and you’ve a need for highly skilled welding, HVAC/facilities maintenance, carpentry, production, welding and machinery personnel, contact Madden Industrial Craftsmen, Incorporated. We can find skilled workers for you quickly and easily. Contact us today.

With the economy sputtering and corporations looking to pare their workforces even more, it’s no surprise that job security is a real concern.  But how do you make yourself “layoff-proof?”  How, in short, do you make yourself indispensable?

While no one really is indispensable, there are a number of things you can do to enhance your job security.

First, you need to look at your department as a corporation and yourself as its CEO.  All of your activities should be carried out with the bottom line in view.  Will they be an asset or a liability?  You need to look at the big picture as well, how your activities and department fit in with the entire company.

You need to take responsibility for your career and moving up the ladder, taking a proactive stance and not just relying on a mentor to help out.

Make sure to keep a positive attitude.  Someone who is always worrying about what will go wrong, or who is overly concerned about failure rather than success, will not be seen as an asset to the company.

Learn how to work in a leaner environment.  Show your superiors you can run your department just as efficiently with fewer people.  Learn how to hire consultants and other temporary staffers to help out.

Find a job that you can do better than it’s being done now, or one that is being neglected, and then take on the challenge of doing it.  And make sure to add the additional duties to your job description.

Develop a plan to make others in the organization aware of who you are and what you do.  Some people believe that if they keep their head down they will be overlooked during a downsizing.  That’s not true.

Find out what in areas your boss is weak and become an expert in those areas.

Become a company spokesperson at community events and other gatherings.  By doing this, you become the face of the company to the community, and you develop more contacts.  Make sure you inform your superiors what you are doing.

And, finally, it’s good to remember the old axiom – be a team player.  You should be seen as someone who supports and promotes the department, someone who finds solutions to conflicts rather than causing them.

When you’re looking for the next position where you can showcase your skills and abilities, contact Madden Industrial Craftsmen Incorporate. We have many terrific positions for skilled craftsmen at great companies throughout the Pacific Northwest. Contact us today.

Ah, the performance review. Few like giving them; fewer enjoy receiving them. Still, objective performance criteria can go a long way toward achieving your company’s business goals.

Here are some tips to help you create performance objectives which will help make the performance review process go much more smoothly and happily for everyone.

Make sure your objectives are measurable. Just about every objective can be measured, either by quantity or quality. Decide how you will measure your objectives. For quantifiable (countable) objectives, what kind of “numbers” will you use? are the benchmarks you will use? For the more esoteric (quality) objectives, decide on the different types of benchmarks you’ll use to measure performance. You’ll need to decide what kind of data you will use to measure employee performance and you’ll want to be sure it will provide you and your employees ongoing feedback regarding their performance.

Be specific. What do you really want your employees to achieve? Look beyond actions and focus on results. Being specific makes your objectives clear to your workers and helps keep confusion and disputes to a minimum. If your objectives are complex, aim to break them down into specific sub-objectives. This helps employees focus their efforts on achieving the specific results you seek.

Who is accountable for your performance objectives? Some objectives may be the responsibility of managers, who then should set objectives for line workers. For example, if a foreman is responsible for making sure so many widgets are produced in three months, he’ll want to be sure he creates performance objectives for his team members that  include seeing that those widgets are produced.

Are your objectives realistic? Taking the example above, can your employees make X number of widgets in three months? Efficient businesses know that performance objectives link back to the company’s strategy and business plan. You should set objectives that make your employees stretch and keep them challenged, but your objectives should be attainable.

Speaking of strategy, be sure your performance objectives relate to your company’s business plan and overall goals. Good performance objectives start with the “end in mind.” That is, they create a link between what individual employees are expected to do with the ultimate goal of the company. All objectives should be alignment with at least one other.

Deadlines are gold. Set time frames in performance objectives; deadlines help employees focus.

Contact Madden Industrial Craftsmen Incorporated for top-notch employees eager to meet your objectives. Whether you need industrial workers on a temporary, temp-to-hire or direct-hire basis, we will meet or exceed your objectives every time.

The good news: It’s very possible to get a raise today, even as the economy slowly recovers from one of the worst recessions in this nation’s history and while unemployment remains stubbornly high.

The bad news: You’ll have to earn it.

That is, before you ever approach your manager about a raise, you already should have earned it. You already should have been making a contribution to your company’s goals above and beyond what is expected of you in your job. You should have been doing the job of someone in a more demanding position and you should have been doing so for several months (at least three or four), not for a few weeks.

But that really is good news, because employers truly do want to reward top workers who do all they can — and more! — to help a business succeed.

However, most employers don’t spend their time noticing which employees are doing more and then automatically giving them hefty raises at annual performance reviews. So, you’ll more than likely have to ask for that raise.

Here’s how to do so:

Document your accomplishments. Prove that you’re going the aforementioned “above and beyond” in your duties. For example, you could e-mail your boss weekly, monthly or quarterly (just do it regularly) with a short report of all the things you’ve accomplished and where you are on major tasks/projects. It could be an e-mail such as “Completed Project A this week, one week ahead of schedule, saving the company several thousand dollars.” Don’t brag, just state the facts, which should speak for themselves.

Keep these reports for yourself. Review them regularly and self-select what you feel are the most important accomplishments. Then summarize them and a) forward them to your boss a few days before your annual review or b) forward them to her each quarter.

Be sure your attitude matches your stellar performance. Don’t complain. Don’t come up with excuses when tasks aren’t completed well or on time (in fact, you should let your boss know as soon as you know about problems or when a project will be late). Own up to your mistakes and work to make sure they don’t happen again. Be pleasant to everyone. Keep any temper you may have in check. If you have a hard time with disruption, work on yourself so that you’re better able to “go with the flow.”

Finally, ask for a raise. Depending on how well your employer is doing financially as well as your relationship with your supervisor, you can suggest yourself the raise amount, or you can ask for a raise and let your supervisor/employer decide upon the amount.

Contact Madden Industrial Craftsmen Incorporated when you’re ready to raise your career expectations. We have many terrific assignments at some of the Pacific Northwest’s greatest employers.  Contact us today.

If you’re having a hard time getting employee buy-in of your company’s or even department’s mission, here are some tips to help you do so.

First of all, understand that humans pretty much abhor change. Most of us like our lives to remain as they are; it comforts us and makes us feel secure. Even if a change will be good for us, we still balk and dither.

So understand that your mission is a change to your staff and handle your rollout of any changes that will take place due to the new mission slowly and carefully.

Understand that not everyone in your department or company thinks like you do. Don’t start thinking your employees “should” see things your way. Don’t try to force the new mission and consequent changes down your staff members’ throats — you’ll encounter terrific pull back and you may never see the changes you seek. In addition, morale will suffer tremendously whenever you work to “strong arm” your employees into thinking as you do.

Also, understand that human nature automatically asks “what in it for me?” As you craft your new mission and start planning for company changes, be sure to let your staff know the benefits of the changes and how their working lives will improve.

That improvement/benefit must appear relatively quickly, not years down the yard. Many employees today don’t see themselves staying with a business for more than a few years; promising terrific stock options in five years if all goes well may not inspire many of your staff members.

Understand also that no change benefits everyone; some employees will see their jobs, their career, etc. evolve in a way they don’t like (for example, perhaps your goal to streamline processes results in not needing so many employees, meaning some people will lose their jobs). Be sure you can see all the “benefits” and “negatives” from your employees’ point of view, not just from management’s. Extreme empathy is called for if your mission and its subsequent changes does result in negative outcomes for some of your workers.

If your company is located in the Pacific Northwest and you’ve a need for highly skilled welding, HVAC/facilities maintenance, carpentry, production, welding and machinery personnel, contact Madden Industrial Craftsmen, Incorporated. We can find skilled workers for you quickly and easily. Contact us today.

As more and more businesses use more and more temporary employees for short- and long-term assignments — as well as in positions critical to a company’s success — managers and human resources departments in businesses throughout the country are learning the importance of motivating these new additions to their workforce.

Here are some tips to help motivate temporary workers.

First of all, treat them with respect. Nothing says “you’re nothing to this company but working fodder” than just throwing them into their new position without so much as a “Hello, I’m Bob, this is Janice who will show  you around. Good luck!”

Instead, aim to introduce the temporary employee around your company. Show him the breakroom, where the bathrooms are. Tell him a bit about your company and his roll within it.

As you introduce your temporary worker, don’t introduce him as “the temp.” A much more professional introduction — and one that will help the individual feel a part of your team — is to tell those to whom you introduce him his name and the position he’ll be filling at your organization.

Work hard to treat your temporary employees as much as possible just as you do your “regular” employees. Keep them apprised of your company’s goals, challenges and how their work fits your vision for the company. Invite your temporary employees to staff and department meetings and share your organization’s announcements and memos with them.

Talk to the temporary employee about his background. Sure, you hired him to work as a draftsman, but if you speak with him you may find that he recently was laid off from a position as an engineer — could you possibly use some of that expertise?! Ask his opinion when appropriate — he may have some terrific ideas and, at the least, you certainly could get a different perspective on how you do your drafting projects.

Basically, the best way to motivate temporary employees is to view them — and use them — as important and valuable assets to your business. Treat them as you treat your “regular” employees and watch the magic happen.

If you’re on the lookout for top-notch talent in carpentry, welding, machinery, production, HVAC/facilities maintenance and other skilled technical trades in the Pacific Northwest, contact Madden Industrial Craftsmen, Incorporated. We can fill your temporary, temp-to-hire and direct hire staffing needs with excellent workers who meet — and exceed — your expectations. We look forward to hearing from you.

Work. Often can’t live with it, always can’t live without it (bills gotta be paid, after all).

But stress at work can be a literal killer. Your body produces a large amount of the hormone called cortisol as part of the fight-or-fight reaction to stress. The body can handle only small and infrequent spurts of cortisol at once; stress-filled jobs mean cortisol is coursing through your body, potentially causing all manner of deadly diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, etc.

Stress on the job truly can be hazardous to your health. But a person has to work, right? So here are some tips to help you relax — and cut back on the cortisol — at work and at home.

Take a minute and think of five things for which you are grateful. Gratitude is a very effective way to appreciate your life and turn a bad emotional state into a more positive one. The things for which you are grateful needn’t be “big” or awe inspiring. Simply taking the time to appreciate the fact that it’s a lovely day outside, the work day is over is in just one hour, how much you love peanut butter, how your cat makes you laugh as she chases a crumpled wad of paper — all can go a long way to cleaning your body of anxiety.

Get rid of the clutter around you. Studies have indeed shown that “stuff” can cause stress. A cluttered desk or home makes for a cluttered and jumbled mind. Just the act of putting papers into neat piles on your workspace can go a long way to a calming mindset. Go a step further and take the time to really organize and tidy up your desk. Get rid of paper, folders, items you don’t need. The same goes for your home. Go through closets, the garage, the basement, the spare room — any room! — and get rid of the stuff. You’ll be amazed and pleased how a clean and organized workspace and home fosters a clean and relaxed mind.

Take 30 deep belly breathes. Sit in a chair with your legs apart and place your hands on your stomach. Using your stomach, breathe in slowly through your nose (you’ll know you’re doing it correctly because you’ll feel your stomach expand). Breathe out slowly through your nose, but use some force so that you’ll feel your stomach pull in slightly toward your back. Do this 30 times and, when done, you’ll be pleased at how calm and centered you feel.

Contact Madden Industrial Craftsmen Incorporated when you’re stressing about finding a great job. We have many terrific assignments at some of the Pacific Northwest’s greatest employers. Contact us today.

Even though the recession is on the wane and the job market is showing signs of recovery, unemployment remains high and is expected to stay high for several months.

Which means that employers will continue to have many hard-working, talented applicants from which to choose.

That’s a good thing, of course, but many desperate job seekers have been applying for just about any position they “feel” they can do, whether or not they truly have the background and skills to do it.

In addition, a resume and interview often can be poor predictors of a candidate’s ultimate ability to perform well in a position and fit in well at your company. As you undoubtedly know, many hires are made by the “heart,” and not the “head,” sometimes resulting in a poor hire.

There are tools that can help you better assess a candidate’s “rightness” for a particular position.

For example, assessment tools exist that can help you match your most talented candidates to the position’s exact requirements. Such a tool allows you to find these top candidates via a job benchmark, thus removing bias and guesswork from your hiring decision.

In addition, many companies offer candidate assessment tools that assess potential employees’ personalities and candidates’ sales and customer service skills. You also can purchase tools that will help you perform pre-employment screenings and background checks, perform 360-degree employee performance evaluations, job simulation tests (in which candidates demonstrate the actual skills needed to perform a position well, and more.

Assessment companies generally will complete an easy-to-understand report and comparison on how a potential employee scores against values, critical thinking skills and top competencies that have been identified as important — or even critical — to success within the position.

When you need terrific technical professionals such as carpenters, electricians, engineers, draftsmen and project managers for your Pacific Northwest company, contact Madden Industrial Craftsmen Incorporated. We have a broad-based employee pool with terrific skill sets for just about any light or heavy industrial need.

Here are six questions you should never ask a job candidate (and 10 ways you can still get the information you need:

1) Are you a U.S. citizen? Citizenship legally has no bearing on whether someone can work in the U.S. Instead, ask: Are you authorized to work in the U.S.?

2) What religion are you? A candidate’s religious beliefs also have no legal bearing on their ability or ability to do a job. You legitimately may be wondering if their religious practices may preclude them from working nights or weekends, so instead ask: What days are you available to work?

3) What clubs or social organizations are you a member of? Again, this question has absolutely no bearing on a candidate’s ability to do a job and it can reveal too much about a person’s political or religious affiliations. If you were to decide not to hire a candidate based on his or her political/religious membership, you could be sued. A better question to ask is one that’s work related: Do you belong to any trade or professional groups relevant to our industry?

4) How old are you? This question is bad for so many reasons, particularly because you’re setting yourself up for an age-discrimination lawsuit. A better question to ask: Are you over the age of 18?

5) How many years do you have before you plan to retire? Another loaded question. Even if someone appears old to you, she may have 20 years or more before she plans to leave paid work. In fact, she may be planning to never retire. Instead, ask: What are your long-term career goals?

6) Do you have children? Do you plan to have children? Again, what does this question have to do with a candidate’s ability to do the job? How he handles his childcare situation is his responsibility. Far better to ask: This position requires some/considerable travel and overtime. Is that a problem for you?

Madden Industrial Craftsmen, Incorporated provides skilled carpenters, welders, machine and production workers, HVAC/facilities maintenance personnel and other skilled tradesmen to companies doing business in the Pacific Northwest. As a leading staffing agency, we can help you develop a strategic staffing plan to help ensure your company’s fiscal success.